North of Hollywood: Canadian Films in the Classroom

IV. Types of Role Playing Activities for Scenes

  1. Re-enacting a Scene: (ie. The Sweater)
    In this very simple kind of role play, students pre-read an incomplete scene,
    order events in the next scene, enact it, then provide an ending:
    (a) sequencing dialogue
    (b) reading in groups
    (c) developing an ending

  2. Reading-role; Flash Forward: (ie. Black Robe)
    Students read a scene in advance, brainstorm the emotions of the characters,
    then try to portray these. The "Flash Forward" takes the scene into the future with the same characters as Black Robe.

  3. Mime and Improvise: (ie. Silent Partner, Double Happiness)
    An excellent place to begin any script work is a mimed scene. It could be based on a summary of the action in a video, or on the film directions. Almost any film can be used in this way, Silent Partner, Double Happiness, and Going Down the Road among them.
    (a) mime based on script directions
    (b) improvisations based on reading and watching a scene

  4. Writing-in-role: (ie. David)
    Students read a passage in advance, view the scene, then the teacher scaffolds the role play through students brainstorming a character's traits in small group work, then writing a letter from a character's point of view. The letter become the basis for further improvisation.
    (a) listing character traits
    (b) writing a letter
    (c) improvising scenes based on characters reading the letter

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